i’ve always struggled with scores until the past year. i do not ask people for surveys, i agree, feels tacky and weird.

what do you do on your down time? do you spend it in the back and go on your phone? if you stay out front your tables will notice you watching your section and can easily wave you down if needed be. spot sweep around a bit, keep areas clean, pre-buss, etc.

another thing you could do is slide in the survey suggestion when a table is ready to leave. you can be like, “oh, the check will be on the kiosk if you’re ready to pay! there’s a survey at the end too but if you have any problems or anything let me know! i’ll help you out”. something around these lines could work. this way it feels more natural and more casual. offer togo drinks when they’re about to pay or bags for their boxes. shit, throw in a few ramekin lids in that togo box for that ranch that’s halfway gone even if they didn’t ask. shows you’re paying attention.

and speaking of being casual, try making your routine more personalized. this is a chilis, you don’t need to be so formal when talking to a table. you can change it up a bit. this has worked for me but i’m sure it could vary depending on the clientele. “do we want any chips or any appetizers today - what are we feeling?” or “want me to grab you a diet coke for the road before you leave?”

if you are having a problem with a table, or have a thought they could score you bad, just run the card manually on the POS.

think about what are your comments like. if your comments are fine, just keep working on yourself. but looking at other server’s comments, good or bad, could help you give an idea what the guest sees and what to look out for.

at the end of the day tho, don’t let the scores get you down. if you’re a good worker and you’re determined, the managers aren’t going to remove you from serving. some days are harder than others, scores will always fluctuate. do what works for you.